"3005" Cuban Ropa Vieja

This Cuban ropa vieja recipe will be on my tailgate recipe list until 3005. Not only is it great for tailgating, but also for entertaining or weekend family meals.

Juicy beef is cooked to luxurious tenderness in a well-seasoned stewed vegetables mix.

The beauty of ropa vieja is its versatility. It can be eaten as a main dish paired with sides like black beans and coconut ginger rice. It's also great with some rustic bread as a comforting and satisfying sandwich.

What is cuban ropa vieja?

Ropa Vieja is one of the national soul food dishes of Cuba, consisting of stewed beef with vegetables including onions, bell peppers, olives, and capers. It can be eaten as a sandwich or stew.

Beats and Eats Pairing

This ropa vieja recipe is meant to be part of some good times. It's comforting but in an almost celebratory way. Childish Gambino's "3005" is upbeat, optimistic, and fun, but also substantive which marries well with the uplifting ingredients of the ropa vieja including the briny olives, brightening tomatoes, and red peppers.

Ropa Vieja Recipe Ingredient Notes

• Beef chuck roast or flank steak - Flank is considered authentic, but chuck roast is considered a cheaper, yet close alternative. Large groups I go with chuck, smaller ones it's flank.
• Crushed Tomatoes - in addition to the acidity needed to cut through the beef, it adds a bit of thickness to the consistency of the dish.
• Tomato Paste - Its flavor is concentrated so it's perfect for adding intensifying flavor to a slow-long cooked dish like the stewed beef. It also adds some body and flavor nuance to the overall finished recipe.
• Green Olives w/ Pimento - I go heavy with the olive and the brine as I like briny flavor profiles. So I add both the olives and their juices. The dish is extremely beefy so I use the brine to balance things out some.
• Dry White Wine - adds a bit of sweetness and and brightness. It's also used to deglaze the pan and imparting even more flavor by helping release those brown bits back into the stew.
• Paprika - Go with the smoked sweet version. Paprika adds depth, smokiness, and earthiness.
• Garlic Cloves - this ropa vieja would not be Cuban without garlic!

How To Make This Cuban Ropa Vieja Recipe (Step By Step)

1. Pat the beef dry and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once very hot add the beef and brown generously on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate. Leave the drippings and any remaining browned bits in the pot. If necessary add some more oil to the pot.
2. Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized. About halfway through add the sugar to help with caramelization.
3. Add the red peppers and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute.
5. Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Return the roast to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender and falls apart easily. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it. Stir in the olives and its liquid, roasted red peppers, and capers.
6. Simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce for 30 minutes. If you have time stop at this step, refrigerate and let sit overnight as the flavors will come together even more.
7. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.

Ropa Vieja Recipe Cooking Tips

• Most recipes call for draining the olives before adding to the pot. I prefer to include the juices as the brine actually adds additionally level of flavor.
• DO NOT be too salt heavy as far as adding any extra salt cause the dish will be salty enough from the briny olives.
• If using a crockpot too cook this dish, be sure to sear the beef in a skillet first
• Dish can also be made in the oven, cooked at 350 degrees covered for about 2 hours.
• The longer ropa vieja sits, the better it tastes.
• Leftovers make for a great sandwich. Just spread over some rustic bread slices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Making Ropa Vieja

Can you cook ropa vieja in a slow-cooker or crockpot?

Ropa vieja is your quintessential slow-cook recipe which makes it a great option for crock-pot if that is your thing. Full confession, I'm not much for crock-pot as a cooking vessel as they tend to fall down with respect to optimizing flavors. However, they are great for texture as far as breaking down tough cuts of meat. I use crock-pots more as a "warming" tool for things I've already cooked.

What is the best cut of beef for a ropa vieja recipe?

Traditionally the Cuban version is made with flank steak, which on the surface or at least for me seems to be an odd choice for long, slow cooking such as braising. When I think of flank steak - I dream of a lean cut of beef with no marbling grilled at seriously high levels of heat!  

Though it doesn't make sense in this context it is/was the traditional choice for two reasons. One, back in the day flank steak was a cheap cut so it went a long way in feeding a family. Two, flank consists of long strands of beef which visually makes it a great option for that pronounced shredding. This is important for the symbolic representation of the torn clothing aesthetic associated ropa vieja which translated means old clothes.

Now I'm old school, tend to be down for traditional and don't wish to offend anyone's preferred way of doing things, but I'm sorry flank steak just don't add up for me. Texturally and flavor wise there are better ways. Being the flavor by any means necessary dude trumps tradition in some cases. This is definitely one of those.

For my loot, beef chuck roast is the way to go. Though the purists will probably complain that chuck with its short strands won't have those pronounced shreds and will look mushy, I say one there is a solution for this and secondly, it just tastes so much better! It's not even close! The short strands, mushy factor workaround is to choose cut of chuck that is taller than it is wide to ensure you get that combination of long strands and deep, intense flavor.

Lastly, flank steak ain't cheap no more due to its popularity and thus can't even claim that advantage anymore. The humbly priced chuck roast wins in this regard. I'll take better texture, mo better flavor, and value every time!

What do you serve with ropa vieja?

I cooked this on a Thursday night and let sit in the refrigerator until gameday Saturday morning, dropped it in the crockpot and headed to the stadium. I made Cuban black beans and coconut cilantro rice to accompany the dish. I eat a lot of carrots so had some on hand as well as well as fried plantains.

My crew topped a bowl full of the coconut ginger rice and beans with the ropa vieja. A few of us made sandwiches which is my favorite way to enjoy the dish. If you prefer the Cuban sandwich version, then reserve some of the au jus in a small bowl/ramekin as a dip. It's so delicious, and so tailgating!

For other Caribbean inspired dishes try these:

• Puerto Rican Mofongo Relleno
• easy Cuban Picadillo
• Haitian Beef & Pumpkin Soup (Soup Joumou)
• Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
• Cuban Style Ketchup

For other beef based recipes you might like try these:

• Flank Steak Salad
• Grilled Flank Steak
• Smoked Chuck Roast
• Mexican Street Tacos

Make this recipe

If you make this delicious Cuban Ropa Vieja Recipe, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.

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